[QuickTidal]

Abyss, on 14 October 2014 - 04:32 PM, said:

Yknow, i read the preview pages at CBR and somehow i just KNEW that's where it was going.

Sad because i've entered an Avengers phase on the Marvel Meth and the writers, Hickman and Remender in particular, just generally write female characters really really well... Ms Marvel is exactly the confident powerhouse she should be, Rogue taking no shit from anyone, Black Widow borderline sociopath, Wasp can be sexually aggressive but has Cap America's respect because she's one of the most experienced heroes around and shows it... and DC does Tinder as a plot point.

So much this.

I THINK..think that Stewart believes he's writing her as empowered...but instead she comes off as a typical inner-city college girl with gender specific problems. She's not rising above any of that stereotyping in the first issue. I kept thinking to myself, not only would Gail Simone's BATGIRL (who previously wrote her) kick this new Babs ass....but Stephanie Brown and Cassie Cain (both Batgirls) would both shake their heads in disgust at her.

Stewart has turned Batgirl into Scott Pilgrim. Let's be clever, and pop-culture referency, and allow gender stereotypes to rule. Oh and lets hinge the first villain around dating a guy...because that's progressive.

It's ALMOST enough to make me want to bail on even issue 2....but I swore I'd give it at least two issues.

[Abyss]

My resistance finally crumbled and i subscribed to http://thrillbent.com/ ... I did it for Waid and Kitson's EMPIRE... the vol 1 .pdf was a nice bonus but damn the first ten issues of vol 2 are as good and if they maintain the monthly sched i'll probably stick around.

Seriously, if you've never read this series, it's $3.99/month, so your first month gets you the vol1 100ish page .pdf and the first ten vol 2 issues PLUS the rest of the site. Hard to argue with that math when you can cancel thirty seconds after you finish something.


That said, i started another Thrillbent series, INSUFFERABLE, on a whim.... Vigilante's son/sidekick grows up, they have a parting of ways, picture Batman with less gadgets having a very public and ugly split from Nightwing who starts his own fairly obnoxious social/multimedia corporation around himself... and powered through vol1. Not brilliant, but well written, nicely drawn and entertaining. As a bonus on top of EMPIRE, no complaints.


I could complain about the utter lack of new ARCANUM, but sadly, alas, i think that ship has sunk. Looks like at least 4-5 other series to check out tho'.


Currently halfway through marathoning Brian Vaughn's EX MACHINA. I would have hated reading this as monthly floppies because clever dialogue and interesting plots and sideplots notwithstanding, the beats are drawn out and the action is minimal. But read as a complete story it is brilliant and brilliantly executed.

[QuickTidal]

So I have re-picked up SUPERGIRL (a series that I have loved and hated in equal measure depending on who was writing it) due to the fact that it's about to start a brand new arc with Kate Perkin's joining Mike Johnson on writing duties as they enroll Kara in the Crucible Academy. I can't help but be a BIT excited to see Supergirl be written not only by a woman (I don't think this has happened since KSD wrote her Just before the Nu52) and to see Johnson back on the title a little more regularly since he started her Nu52 life with such an amazing arc. Only time will tell if I stick with the title or drop it (I dropped it after the whole H'el on Earth storyline turned her into a dopey, follower, lovestruck girlfriend).

EDIT: http://www.newsarama...coobiegang.html
An article where Perkins explains how she doesn't like the idea (which was the reason I dropped the title) that Kara needs to be romantically involved and stymied by that stuff. And How it sounds like the Buffy team approach will help the character grow. It's exciting to see DC hire a progressive female writer on the title who won't allow her to get mired in stereotypical gender-bias bullshit. I can't help but be excited.

And after swearing off Snyder & Capullo's BATMAN as a floppy collector during the entirety of ZERO YEAR (which I felt I'd enjoy more as a collected volume....I have since purchased it and enjoyed it that way...and feel safe in the knowledge that monthly ZERO YEAR floppies would have just pissed me off), I'm back on board with our story returning to present day in BATMAN: ENDGAME and Bruce squaring off against the JL. It really doesn't get better than Snyder & Capullo (MOST of the time), NIGHT OF OWLS, COURT Of OWLS were both great...DEATH OF THE FAMILY was only so-so in comparison...and ZERO YEAR is only good if read as one volume cover to cover (unless the Riddler outwitting young Bruce for months on end appeals to you enough to want to revisit it in tedious monthly increments instead of binging through it in one go).

This post has been edited by QuickTidal: 27 October 2014 - 06:48 PM

[blackzoid]

Megatron, the guy who said this:

"Understand this. So long as you stand in my way- so long as anybody stands in my way, I will respond by killing. Murder on an industrial scale. Because in the final analysis, I would happily wade across a river of corpses, chest-deep in rust and grease and engine oil, just to crush the spark of the last Autobot standing. And I would do so not simply as a means to an end, no. I'd do it, Prime, because it would give me pleasure."

is now an Autobot. Awesome.

This post has been edited by blackzoid: 29 October 2014 - 08:03 PM

[Abyss]

blackzoid, on 29 October 2014 - 08:02 PM, said:

Megatron, the guy who said this:

"Understand this. So long as you stand in my way- so long as anybody stands in my way, I will respond by killing. Murder on an industrial scale. Because in the final analysis, I would happily wade across a river of corpses, chest-deep in rust and grease and engine oil, just to crush the spark of the last Autobot standing. And I would do so not simply as a means to an end, no. I'd do it, Prime, because it would give me pleasure."

is now an Autobot. Awesome.

To be fair, it's a temporary situation, but a clever story twist even so.


Weird that DC did a similar thing with Luthor and Capn Cold joining the JL around the same time.

[blackzoid]

I'm hoping its pernament. With Galvatron in command of the Earth-bound Cons there is no need to revert to the status que (spelling) of the war being led by Megatron. Megatron did win in All Hail Megatron after all. I got the feeling that his heart wasn't in the subsequent 2 things he initiated. (Ongoing and RID season 1)

There is nowhere else to go with him on his progression of miner/poet/gladiatior/freedom fighter/terrorist/tyrant arc.

This post has been edited by blackzoid: 29 October 2014 - 10:11 PM

[QuickTidal]

GOTHAM ACADEMY (now on issue #2) continues its easy reign at the top of my monthly reading pile. You should all be reading it.

[QuickTidal]

So after 3 issues (the title relaunched in July with a brand new creative team) the new TEEN TITANS is literally EVERYTHING that Cameron Stewarts BATGIRL wants to be...

It's fun, youthful, colourful, action-packed, and modern. I've been ridiculously entertained by it so far. The new creative team of Wil Pfiefer and Kenneth Rocafort are basically knocking out of the park with each new issue. The old creative team had Scott Lobdell on the writing...and he could not write a teen character if he had a bunch sitting in the room with him as he scripted. Seriously, read any of the TT issues before the relaunch and you will see a weird man, using 90's slang (incorrectly) writing a title as if all teens are valley girls. It was AWFUL before...

But Pfeifer has re-infused it with life and vibrancy worthy of a read, and Rocafort pencils are always entertaining. The modernity is on display in things like a gang forming to copy Wonder Girl and vigilante-ing crime from her popularity on social media, Bunker reads a citizen the riot act for being a homophobe, and a rock band singer has styled herself after Raven. Like I said, it's doing RIGHT what Cameron Stewart's Batgirl is doing wrong.

Basically between this title, GOTHAM ACADEMY, and the forthcoming SUPERGIRL creative team...I think DC finally is writing modern teen superheroes right.

Some art from the title, very dynamic:

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[Stormcat]

The full Dresden War Cry is out. Good stuff

http://smile.amazon....n+graphic+novel

[QuickTidal]

So BATGIRL #36 did a lot to help me with my struggle of Stewart's writing on the title. It's MUCH tighter, less hipster, and there is more general action. It's not won me over or anything, but it's a significant step up over last months issue. It's still on my pull list...for now.

BATMAN #36 Endgame Part 2....this is solid, solid stuff. It's dealing with the fallout of Death Of The Family in a direct way...Snyder keeps his mythos and storytelling TIGHT and that's always a joy to read. It's also great to see Capullo get to basically illustrate evil Justice Leaguers. All in all, as usual, I'm enjoying this arc.

THOR #2 (The new female Thor) - Tis good stuff...continuing on the story from the first issue, and allowing her to question why she's been given the power to wield Mjolnir, and to what extent do her powers stretch.

RED SONJA #17 - A new arc starts. Simone's last arc was decent, if not nearly as great as her first arc with the character...this new arc I'm not sure about yet. Only time will tell if I'll enjoy it. I think if this arc is only on par with the second arc and not reaching the heights of the first I may bail out on it.

[Abyss]

Working my way thru Hickman's AVENGERS run... am now about halfway thru the INFINITY crossover in all its multi-part glory.


Not perhaps as glorious majestic fun as his FF run, Hickman knows how to put the EPIC in epic. Worlds 'splode, Avengers avenge, it's ANNIHILATION WAVE level cosmic comic storytelling as the humans from the 'backwater planet' proceed to save the universe's collective ass, again. Great fun to see races like the Brood and Skrull as more than generic alien baddies. Damn right Gladiator should be asking Captain America what he thinks. And Bruce Banner doing more than just by-the-numbers Hulksmash is a nice touch, tho the smash part is always fun. Any use of the old New Universe/New Universal concepts is always a treat.


While the core titles are awesome, the various crossovers are, as usual, a mixed bag. Infinity Hunt takes a fun (if not so original) idea... a competition between various metahuman academies... and just delivers by the numbers meh. The Thunderbolts issues are tacked on. Poorly. And if they wanted to start a new Heroes for Hire series, they should have called it that instead of Mighty Avengers Who Aren't Avengers Except They Say They Are.


As usual, the Marvel Meth app is worth the monthly charge and more. I've easily read nearly 100 comics this month so far that i've enjoyed, but would have just stuck in a pile to occupy space for a few years before i even considered a reread. DC is hurting itself by not having an equivalent.

[Studlock]

Mighty Avengers probably sells more than Heroes for Hire ever would and I'm not even mad at that because I finally have a book in which white men don't dominate the title and provides a good old superhero throw down. It's refreshing, and frankly it's the second best written Avengers title (the first, ironically, is Illuminati...I mean New Avengers but that's more because or Namor and Black Panther than anything else) out of all the current Avenger titles.

[Abyss]

Studlock, on 13 November 2014 - 08:31 PM, said:

Mighty Avengers probably sells more than Heroes for Hire ever would and I'm not even mad at that because I finally have a book in which white men don't dominate the title and provides a good old superhero throw down. It's refreshing, and frankly it's the second best written Avengers title (the first, ironically, is Illuminati...I mean New Avengers but that's more because or Namor and Black Panther than anything else) out of all the current Avenger titles.

To be fair I've only ready the first issue of Mighty and it was as contrived a team-gets-together story as I've ever read. But I take your post as encouraging. I'm on board for the rest of the INFINITY issues in any event. If it impresses me, I'll stick with it. I like the cast in concept, despite my utter non-anything for 'New Power Man'.

[Studlock]

I like the new Power Man because it's like Luke Cage and Iron Fist had a baby. One thing though is Mighty Avengers has maybe 4 issues not apart under some sort of crossover banner, the writer Al Ewing handles it really well though. But I think I enjoyed it so much because so many my favourite B-Lister and C-Listers show up: Luke Cage, the Falcon, Monica, She-Hulk, Iron Fist, Blue Marvel...and so on. It's nothing overly complex, just a straight superhero story which I miss to be honest.

[amphibian]

I don't think Brian K Vaughan is particularly good at writing great stories. I'm sitting a few feet away from the trades of Ex Machina and I have read Y the Last Man. I was disappointed with both and find him to be more of a faux complexity writer than someone like Carey, Azzarello, Ellis and so on.

[Jhag Sidean]

Anyone here reading God is Dead?
It starts with... yes god is dead, and a myriad of other gods descend to earth (Norse, greek, egyptian, indian, mayan, aztec, and so forth) chaos ensues.

I also read some Crossed, that is some sick #¤%&¤%%&/%¤/&(/)(/&/¤$£{$

I have the first two Saga tpb's, and wondering if i should pick up some of the newer ones as well.

As a chef, i liked Get Jiro, a comic made in collaboration with Anthony Bourdain

Claymore is good, so was Hellsing

[Stormcat]

I love Saga and have Volume 4 on pre-order. Also Rat Queens... of course.

[Wolfdrop]

Just picked up Saga Vol.1. It looked pretty interesting and was only a fiver!

Not read many comics except Watchmen, Berserk and few ties in to books, Dunk and Egg, Witcher, Elric etc.

Looking forward to this one though!

[Stormcat]

Oh yeah Saga is really good and trust me get Rat Queens. Sass and Sorcery? I love it. I did a Hannah Cosplay for the local Comicon. I also just recently finished The Gunslinger graphic novels and I loved them. They really added to the storyline.

I just picked up Revival and something from the re-sale bin called Ruse - Enter the Detective. Looks interesting. I am also slowly working my way through Sandman and Darkness.

[Abyss]

Stormcat, on 19 November 2014 - 12:33 AM, said:

Oh yeah Saga is really good and trust me get Rat Queens. Sass and Sorcery? I love it. I did a Hannah Cosplay for the local Comicon.

Pics or it never happened.